Abstract

The present study adapted a computerised version of Virtual Week, a laboratory measure of prospective memory designed to simulate the kinds of prospective memory tasks encountered in daily life. In particular, this study aimed to translate and adapt Virtual Week for an Italian population. We collected data from 198 subjects that were divided into five groups based on age: young-young adults ( 20–29 years, n = 47 ), young adults ( 30–45 years, n = 32 ), middle-age adults ( 46–59 years, n = 32 ), young-old adults ( 60–69 years, n = 41 ), and old-old adults ( 70 years plus, n = 39 ). Results showed that PM performance was best in younger adults, relatively stable over middle adulthood and then decreased with age, with older adults performing the least accurately, in particular for the time-based condition. Results also demonstrated good reliability estimates across a range of ages and task types. Thus, the adaptation of Virtual Week into Italian appears to be a reliable measure of prospective memory for the Italian population.